Indonesian Elections 101: The House of Representatives

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (C), Vice President Boediono (R) and lawmakers to listen to the country’s national anthem in parliament before presenting the annual state-of-the-nation address in Jakarta on Aug. 16, 2013.

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Indonesians are about to go to the voting booth for the fourth time since Suharto, the strong-arm leader who ran the country for 32 years, gave up power in 1998. Since then, Indonesia’s presidential election has been a highly watched event, both in the country and by international observers. After all, this country of 250 million people is the world’s third-largest democracy after India and the U.S.

Legislative polls are less watched and less understood, but they are just as important – if not more so.

Here are a few fast facts that help explain why the main lawmaking body, the House of Representatives, matters for the country.

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Number of seats
At the national level, legislative elections are highly contested. This year more than 6,600 candidates across Indonesia are competing for 560 seats in the House of Representatives, a body similar to Congress in the U.S.

Members are elected for a five-year term. The House is currently comprised of nine political parties, with current President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party carrying the most seats (148), followed by Golkar, with 106. The Democrat Party’s Marzuki Alie currently serves as the House Speaker.

Commissions
Each member of the House, apart from the speaker and his deputies, is assigned to work in a particular commission. Ideally, political parties, or factions, as they’re referred to in the House, assign members to commissions based on their expertise. For example, many members of Commission III, which oversees legal issues, are former lawyers.

Each of the commissions works with related government institutions to draft, debate and pass laws and monitor how the laws are implemented.

Responsibilities & Power
Members of the House are responsible for passing laws. They also discuss and are given the right to reject a decree issued by the president. The House appoints members of the Supreme Audit Agency — an agency that audits the government budget and state assets. House members also approve the state budget bill along with the president.

Canvassers count the votes of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party members during the final vote on Indonesian parliament probe on a controversial bank bailout in Jakarta on March 3, 2010.

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Rights
The House has several powerful rights, including the right of inquiry, interpellation, and the right to express an opinion. In 2009, the House used its right of inquiry to investigate the government’s decision to bail out a small bank, Bank Century, to the tune of $700 million. Under the inquiry, members of the inquiry committee summoned top government officials, including former Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, for questioning. In March 2010, over a vote, House members declared that the bailout of Bank Century was flawed and recommended that law enforcement agencies undertake a thorough investigation into the bailout. Some cases are currently being heard in the country’s anti-corruption court as a result of that investigation.

Another privilege that is enjoyed by Indonesian lawmakers is the right to immunity. That means lawmakers cannot be prosecuted over written or spoken statements made during House meetings as long as they do not violate the legislature’s code of ethics.

Decision-Making
Members of the House are encouraged to pass laws by holding a debate and then arriving at a conclusion they can all agree on. When discussion fails, they are forced to hold a vote in which the House majority determines the outcome. That is why the leading party normally forms a coalition. Currently, the Democrat Party is allied in a coalition with five other political parties.

Code of ethics
The House’s Ethics Council monitors lawmakers’ personality and integrity. The 11 members of the council have the right to summon lawmakers based on reports from the public. According to the code of ethics, lawmakers must operate only in the interest of the people and not use their positions for personal gain. For example, House members are forbidden from bringing family members on business trips, unless they pay for the trip with their own money. They are also prohibited from taking gifts and rewards from another party or institution and are obligated to honestly report their assets.

A flashback
Indonesia’s House of Representatives was formed on August 29, 1945, just 12 days after its leaders declared independence from the Dutch. At that time, it was called the Indonesian National Central Committee, or KNIP, and there were 137 members. The first legislative KNIP ended its term in February 1950.

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